Explore the growing collection of audiobooks and use your 14-digit library card number to create an account and download audiobooks to your computer, transfer them to an iPod or MP3- or WMA-compatible player, or burn selected titles onto a CD for listening on the go. With your card-holder number and an email account, you can place a hold on any audiobook that is currently checked out. Available 24/7, now your audiobook library is always open!

For Windows PC users: Every audiobook in this collection can be downloaded to and played on a Windows PC, and nearly every audiobook can be transferred to your Windows-formatted iPod. All audiobooks can be transferred to a compatible WMA (Windows Media Audio) player. MP3 audiobooks can be transferred to any compatible MP3 player.

For MAC users: All MP3 audiobooks can be downloaded to your Mac and transferred to an iPod or other compatible MP3 player.

Downloadable books can be a little daunting for first-time users, so OverDrive and your New Hampshire public libraries have developed several aids to get you started. In the left-hand column of the NHDB website, you will find a link to MyHelp! Just tell it what you want to do (listen to audiobooks) and tell it what kind of device you want to use (PC, MAC, iPod, MP3 player, etc.), and it will take you to step-by-step instructions.

There is also a Quick Start Guide, which gives you an overview of the entire procedure for both ebooks and audiobooks, along with links to more detailed instructions.

Thanks to the coordination of the New Hampshire State Library, New Hampshire public librarians are collaborating on another instruction aid that is tailored just for our patrons. NH Downloadable Books, the official blog of the NH Downloadable Books Service, features slideshows to help you get started, lists of the latest audiobook purchases, personal reviews of various portable devices including the new iPad 2, and a forum for you to ask your downloadable book questions and get a quick reply. And of course, we’re always here to help you in person, too. Just call or come in today, and bring your new gadget with you!